“Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein he
hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through His
Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;
wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made
known unto us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which
He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of
times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are
in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: in whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him
who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.”– Eph.1:3-11

This
passage of the Holy Scriptures clearly shows us that all born again children
of God were chosen in Christ by the Almighty God Himself before the
foundation of the world and should be holy and blameless before Him in love.
It also tells us that the Loving God had predestinated us to be adopted
as His own children through Christ according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of His Glorious Grace which He has so freely given to us in His
Beloved One. Yes, it is in Christ Jesus and through His Blood that we are redeemed
and forgiven of our sins.

The
first chapter of the Book of Ephesians is indeed rich in spiritual nutrients
for the souls of the saints of God. It is one of several places in the Holy
Scriptures where God has so clearly revealed His Personality and His divine
purpose unto His elect. The singular personal pronouns such as “He”,
“Him”, “His” and “Himself” which Paul used
when referring to the Almighty God clearly show us that God is ONE SPIRIT.
Paul would not have written it that way if he had believed that God was a
Trinity of three co-equal Gods, namely the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit, which most Christians today believe. Verse 9 alone is sufficient for
any true child of God to understand that God is ONE and not Three. It says “having
made known unto us the mystery of His (not Their) will, according to HIS (not
Their) good pleasure which He (not They) hath purposed in HIMSELF (not
Themselves).” [Note carefully the last phrase of verse 11 which states: “…after
the counsel of HIS OWN (not Their) will”.]

THE
ALL-KNOWING & ALL-POWERFUL GOD

Many
years ago, I attended a seminar held by a local Assembly of God church
(of which I was a member) for its Sunday School teachers and 'leaders'. And
during the seminar one of the participants raised this question: “Does
God know who would accept the Gospel and who would not?” The answer
given by the pastor came as a great shock to me. He said: “God knows
everything, but in this matter He chose not to know.”

What
folly! It was hard to believe that an academically and theologically trained
person like the pastor would give such a foolish answer. That answer reminded
me of a paradoxical question often asked by the unbelievers concerning God's
power: “If God is All-Powerful, can He make a rock big enough that He is
unable to carry?” A positive or a negative answer to the question would
immediately render the All-Powerful God helpless and hopeless. Similarly, if
the answer given by that A.O.G. pastor was right, it would mean that
God had chosen not to care about the welfare of mankind when He really did,
and does, care (Psm.40:5; 1Pet.5:7). Then again, can a person choose not to
know something which he already knew? Of course, the Almighty God can choose
to do that, but to do so would mean that He has to blot out from His thoughts
those things which He had purposed to do.

God
does not change His Mind about His Original Word or Plan. He cannot contradict
Himself. He must fulfill His Word, even if it means hurting Himself. And He
demonstrated His great Divine Love for humanity when He sent His Only Begotten
Son to die on the cross to redeem man. He not only chose to redeem but had
also chosen to forgive and forget the sins of all who would call upon Him as
their Saviour. Yes, in this case we can say that He had chosen to forgive and
forget all our sins which He knew that we would commit even before we came
into existence in this world. And redemption is given through the Blood of His
Son, Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will and the riches
of His Glorious Grace.

May
God help us to see His Purpose in us as we seek to understand His Word.

THE
WILL AND PURPOSE OF GOD

Now,
since God is omnipotent and omniscient He has always been able to look into
the future from the beginning, even before anything was created. As such, He
was able to prepare a remedy for man whom He knew would fall.

“But
why did God go ahead and create man if He knew that he would fall and cause
the miserable conditions that exist in the world today?”This
is a very common question often asked by many people who could not accept God
as their Creator. I pity such people. It is often their pride which causes
them to think that they are smarter than their Creator. If only they could
realise what Isaiah the prophet had written:

“Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God,
for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than
your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and
returned not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and
bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall MY
WORD be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto Me void,
but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it.”– Isa.55:7-11

The
WORD which goes forth out of the mouth of God is the Expression of God's
Thought, and It will accomplish Its purpose. Therefore no one can thwart
whatever God had planned to do. The carnal-minded men of the earth cannot
understand God's purpose for mankind. The things of God are spiritually
discerned; only the spiritually minded can appreciate them. (Read 1Cor.2:6-16).
Yes, the Thoughts of God are higher than our thoughts. He is the Creator and
we are His creations. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Can the clay
say to the Potter, “Why have you made me so?” The Potter has the
power over the clay to fashion it whichever way He pleases. And the clay will
never know the Potter's intention unless it submits to His will.

It is
obvious that God had a plan and purpose for fallen mankind even before He
created them for He is a God of Love Who is rich in Grace and Mercy. Through
His creations, God manifests Himself as the Creator. It is for His Own good
pleasure (Gen.1:1; Col.1:16-18a; Rev.4:11). But in all that, He wants a family
as a tabernacle to dwell in, and a people to dwell with. He wants a people
that is perfect and obedient to Him. However, nothing can truly reach the
state of perfection unless it is put to the test — like gold being put in
the furnace, clay being put in the fire and diamond being cut and polished.
Similarly, man must be tested. It is just God's purpose. St.Paul
wrote:

“For
the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty – to futility, condemned to
frustration – not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by
the will of Him Who so subjected it. [Yet] with the hope that nature
(creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption
[and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children.”– Rom.8:20-21 (Amp.)

Praise
God! May He grant us the understanding of His ways. (Read Psalm 119:27).

PREDESTINATION
BY FOREKNOWLEDGE

The
Doctrine of Predestination has been misunderstood by many church-goers. While
some would discard this Truth for some other traditional explanations, others
would fight it as being from the pit of hell.

Carnal
religious men, trapped in the framework of church traditions and theology,
could never understand the simplicity of the Truth of God. How could they
claim to believe in an Omnipotent and Omniscient God while denying Him the
power to foreordain what He has foreknown.

Now,
when God predestinates, He does not merely choose a sinner to make a Christian
out of him, and leave another in his own sinful state to be cast into the Lake
of Fire. No, certainly not, for that would make God unjust in His thoughts and
actions. But God is a just God (Deut.32:4; Isa.45:21). How could He be just if
He picked and chose some to be His children and left the others to be
condemned?

The
answer lies in His foreknowledge of all things even before they existed. Being
All-knowing, He was able to know who would and who would not accept His
Gospel of salvation in Christ Jesus. For those who would, God then chose and
predestinated them, in His love and according to the good pleasure of His
Will, to be adopted as His children through Christ Jesus. Paul said:

“For
whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He did predestinate, them he also called: and whom He called,
them he also justified: and whom he justified, them He also glorified.”– Rom.8:29-30

“…but
be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of
God; Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began.”– 2Tim.1:8b-9

Thank
God for His Divine Purpose in us. Amen!

See,
what had the ALL-POWERFUL God done? He predestinated, called, justified
and glorified all those whom He foreknew BEFORE the foundation of the
world TO BE CONFORMED TO the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. (Hence, we do not
merely believe in the Doctrine of Predestination, but in the Doctrine
of Predestination by Foreknowledge.) Paul was even persuaded that nothing
— absolutely nothing — can separate the chosen ones from the LOVE
of God which is in Christ Jesus. God's gifts and calling are irrevocable.
(Read Romans 8:35-39; 11:29.) Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

CALLING
IN THE MYSTERY OF GOD

Dearly
beloved, if you have been walking in the Light of this hour, you should
by now have realised the depth of God's love for us when he sent a Prophet-Messenger
to turn us back to His Full Word which our Apostolic Fathers
(the Church's first Apostles) had laid down in the Holy Scriptures. In so
doing, He is separating the few chosen ones, from the many so-called
Christians, to be prepared as a Bride for His glorious coming. From as
early as the First Century A.D., the Church of God has been in spiritual
darkness under the leadership of wicked and evil men, and many truths have
either been watered down or distorted. But the hour has come for God to
perfect His Endtime Church by His Word under the “Ascension Gifts”
Ministry of Ephesians 4:11-16. We are to adorn ourselves with the Revelation
of the Word which God has so graciously bestowed upon us at this present
time. Let us not forget that it is the very Love of God which is shed upon us
by the Spirit that opens our spiritual eyes to see His Precious Word of Truth,
and to understand the Mystery of His Will, even the Truth of our
calling in the Gospel of His Son. Paul prayed:

“That
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His
calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe,…”– Eph.1:17-19a

In
one way or another, all Bible lovers understand the Gospel of God, how
that God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to save us
from our sins (Jhn.3:16-21). We know that He came through the nation of the
Jews unto whom the Gospel was first given (Rom.1:16). But because they
rejected their Messiah, God blinded them temporarily and turned to the other
nations until the full number of the Gentiles is complete (Rom.11:25). Of
course, all these were foreknown and predestinated of God as
evidenced in the various prophecies of the Old Testament prophets even before
they happened. This is the MYSTERY which the Apostle Paul received from
the Lord and which he later disclosed in his letters to his converts
(Eph.2:8-3:12 and Rom.16:25-26). This “MYSTERY OF GOD” — the
grafting in of the Gentiles to the Gospel of God that was ordained for the
children of Israel (and which was declared unto His servants, the prophets
[of the Old Testament]) — will be brought to a close at the sounding of the Voice
of the Seventh Star-Messenger to the Laodicean Church Age
(Rev.10:7).

All
those who are called into this Gospel of Christ have the same hope for
there is only one Body of Christ as there is only one Spirit (Eph.4:4).
However, not all who claim to be called are truly called by the Spirit of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Many are called into a social gospel. There are
those who follow the religious traditions and philosophy of men. Paul
said that there is only “ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD and
FATHER of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all”
(Eph.4:5-6). But what do we have today? There are no less than 30,000
different sects and divisions among the 300-odd denominations in Christendom!

In
the little text of Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul used the word “ONE” seven
times to help us understand that the Gospel CALLING is related to the ONE (not
two or three) PERSONALITY OF GOD. It is not (One) God in (another) God,
or (One) God in three persons, but (One) God in the Man, Christ Jesus,
reconciling the world to Himself (2Cor.5:19;
1Tim.3:16).
Because there is only ONE BODY, there is only ONE SPIRIT of God, not
Three Spirits (or 3 Persons) of God. The ONE and the SELFSAME SPIRIT (the
Father – Jhn.14:10) that dwelled in Christ Jesus and raised Him up from the
dead is the ONE that baptizes the believers into the ONE BODY of Christ. This
is the essential ONE BAPTISM that puts a believer into the ONE BODY (1Cor.12:13).
There is only ONE LORD (not Three Lords); ONE GOD (not Three
Gods), and FATHER of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all the
saints.

Yes,
all the “ONE” that Paul mentioned cannot be divided. Read Ephesians 1:10.

ISM

Ecumenism,
Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Pentecostalism,
Charismaticism, Armstrongism, Branhamism, and whatever isms,
are nothing but sects of people who propagate their doctrines and teachings
according to their whims and fancies based on some religious books, creeds or
dogmas, and calling themselves 'Christians'. Some of them may claim
they are Bible believers or fundamentalists, and that their teachings are
traced back to the Apostolic Fathers. Yet, in the face of the Word of
God they are all false cults with filthy names of blasphemy (like the Beast of
Revelation 13:1) — Presbyterian cult, Methodist cult, Lutheran
cult, Mormon cult, Anglican cult, R.C. cult, Branhamite
cult, Moonie cult, etc.. It does not matter whether they are radicals
or so-called fundamentalists. The only true cult is one which is
centred upon the Person of Christ and His Word. When a group of people devote
themselves to some personality, like the Pope or a Faith Healer, or to certain
religious and traditional church creeds or dogmas, and accept them as
THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY, they form a personality cult or a false cult. It is
idolatrous worship.

Today,
Ecumenism, especially through glossolalia (Greek for “speaking
in other tongues”) is gathering the various denominational faiths
together into “One Faith” by promoting 'LOVE' among the people.
This “oneness” is certainly not that which our Lord Jesus had
prayed for (Jhn.17: 21-23). As long as the TRUTH of God is not the basis of
fellowship, whatever and however LOVE is fostered, God is not in their midst.
Only
God's TRUTH can produce the TRUE LOVE (Agapao – 1Jhn.4:16;
2Jhn.1,2),
otherwise it is only human emotion. Because God is TRUTH, He cannot be in the
people unless they have the WORD. God is in His WORD, for God and His
Word are ONE (Jhn.1:1). He is obligated only to His WORD. Where there is no
WORD, there is no TRUTH (Jhn.17:17). And where there is no TRUTH, God
is not there. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos
3:3). That's right. A Lutheran Trinitarian can and will walk with a Pentecostal
Trinitarian — obviously because they are Trinitarians; likewise,
a Roman Catholic Charismatic with an Anglican Charismatic —
because they are Charismatics; and so with each of all the other
different faiths. Those of the same faith will be able to see eye to eye with
each other on their same beliefs. But to walk with God you have to agree with
God and His Word, and not otherwise. You cannot take His Word to fit your
belief. Your belief must be according to His Word. God's WORD is the FILTER of
all our beliefs. It is every true spiritual thinking man's filter.

ONE
FAITH

Hence,
we realise that there is ONLY ONE TRUE FAITH, and it is definitely not among
the numerous 'Christian' cults in Christendom. It is found only in that
one mystical Body of Christ which is spread out throughout the world. This
mystical Body of Christ, possessing the ONE TRUE FAITH, is not identified by a
certain religious symbol or name. Yet, members of this ONE BODY are able to
identify with one another, not by the individual confession (which is
ever so sweet to the ears), but by the REVELATION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD
IN THE WORD. John the Beloved said:

“This
then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that
God is LIGHT, and in Him is NO DARKNESS (that is, NO SPIRITUAL DARKNESS, NO
TRADITION) at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk
in darkness (spiritually, traditionally), we lie, and do not the TRUTH: but
if we walk in the LIGHT, as He is in the LIGHT, we have fellowship one with
another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.”– 1 Jhn.1:5-7

If
anyone comes to you and say, “But this is not how our church sees it. We
believe it this way...”, or “By the gifts of visions and dreams,
God told us...”, or “Our prophet and our pastor said this...”,
he is obviously walking in tradition and in darkness; he is definitely not
walking in the LIGHT of the TRUTH of God's WORD.

WORD
TEST

Give
a Bible believer the Word Test. If he is truly born of the Incorruptible Word
of God (1 Pet.1:23-25), he will believe every Word of God, not an iota less.
Jesus Himself said:

“For
everyone that doeth evil hateth the LIGHT, neither cometh to the LIGHT, lest
his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth TRUTH cometh to the LIGHT,
that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”– Jhn.3:20-21

Amen!
A true saint of God is not afraid of the LIGHT of God because his life and
faith is wrought in God. But the make-believer and the unbeliever are not so;
they will hide behind some traditions. They know that if they come to the
LIGHT, IT will reprove them of their unbelief.

INHERITANCE

Now,
along with every calling there is an inheritance. Unto all the saints, Paul
wrote (in Ephesians 1:11-14) that “we have obtained an inheritance”,
being predestinated by God, because we have believed in the Word of Truth, the
Gospel of our salvation. In that, we have been “sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory”.

What
is this inheritance?

Although
all the saints of God have obtained it, very few of them understand it. Most
of them believe that the inheritance is eternal life. It is not so, although
eternal life comes with that inheritance.

Even
in the time of the Apostle Paul, not all did understand this Mystery of the
Will of God which He had purposed in Himself. For he said that he ceased
not to thank God and make mention of them in his prayer:

“That
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His
calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”– Eph.1:17-18

“And
[so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited
and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as
demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in
Christ…”– Eph.1:19-20 (Amp.)

The
whole chapter of Ephesians 1 deals very simply with the Mystery of God's
Will that He had purposed and set forth in Christ, in whom we the chosen
ones, are set apart, before the foundation of the world. And we are to be
adopted as God's own children and be positionally placed in the Body of
Christ. Yet, simple as it is, it takes the Spirit of wisdom and revelation
of the Lord to fully enlighten us to the realization of Christ's Inheritance
in the Saints.

NAME

In
the Book of Hebrews, Paul wrote how God had spoken to the Old Testament
fathers in the prophets, and how He has now spoken unto us in
His Son,

“Who
being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person (Grk:
substance), and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had
by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high; being made so much better than the angels, as HE HATH BY
INHERITANCE OBTAINED A MORE EXCELLENT NAME than they.”– Heb.1:3-4 (cf. Phil.2:9-11)

Our
Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has obtained an excellent NAME which is above
every name in heaven and on earth. It is in this NAME that our salvation is
founded and ordained of God even before the world began. The Kingdom of God
revolves around this NAME.

Read
what the angel said unto the virgin Mary:

“Behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His
name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He
shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall
be no end.”– Lk.1:31-33

The
Father of Glory, the Creator of heavens and earth, Whose NAME is YHWH – YAHWEH
(in the Hebrew tongue), had given His First Begotten Son the inheritance of
the NAME YAHSHUA (or JESUS in Greek). YAHSHUA simply means
GOD
IS SAVIOUR. This NAME speaks of all that God is in His relationship with
the redeemed. This is the very NAME of God Himself (Jhn.5:43). He is
the Covenant-maker Who tasted death in order to fulfill His own covenant, as
Paul so wrote in Hebrews 9:15-17:

“And
for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of
death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first
testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the
death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead:
otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”

Amen!
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

BIRTHRIGHT
— POSSESSION

God's
New Testament came into force only by His own death — in the Person of His
Son — that we who are the called might receive His Promise of that Eternal
Inheritance which He had predestinated according to His own good
pleasure in Christ Jesus. And that Eternal Inheritance is nothing less
than the NAME OF YAHSHUA, the Messiah, or the LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Now,
we know that it is ONLY BY BIRTH that a person possesses the NAME OF HIS
FATHER. As it is in the natural, it is also true in the spiritual — “Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:…” (1Jhn.5:1a).
Jesus the Christ was the Word of God made flesh (Jhn.1:14). And whosoever
believes and is born of the incorruptible SEED-WORD of God (1Pet.1:23)
is “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph.1:13). Amen! And
that “Holy Spirit of promise” is “the earnest (the down
payment or guarantee) of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory” (Eph.1:14).

Yes,
every Bible believer, who is truly born again of the Spirit and the Word of
God, possesses the NAME OF OUR SAVIOUR AND LORD — Christ Jesus! Amen!

[Note:
Today, we see some self-styled 'Endtime Servants of God' who claim that
they are the children of the Prophet Branham and are teaching others to
serve the late prophet as their Christ (that is, the Lord Christ Branham).
Such foolish cultic people are no different from those who had pledged
allegiance to and had died for their religious power-hungry leader called 'Papa'
Jim Jones, or those who now pledge their allegiance to a so-called 'Holy
Father' on earth.]

It is
the NAME of the Lord Jesus Christ that puts us in the family of God in which
every member bears the same NAME. The NAME itself gives us the right to our
possession which our Heavenly Father had laid up for us in Christ Jesus.
Foremost, of course, is eternal life followed by all other things that God has
put under the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ who is made the Head over all
things to the Church, “which is His body, the fullness of Him that
filleth all in all” (Eph.1:22-23).

NEW
NAME

From
the Apostles' writings, we understand that we were chosen before the
foundation of the world and that our names are written in the Lamb's Book
of Life (Phil.4:3; Rev.21:27). In order that we may obtain that LIFE,
which is in the NAME of the Lamb of God, the Lamb had to be slain so that
the LIFE and NAME could be imparted to us. Amen. Now, as the Lord Jesus had
received His NEW NAME (Rev.19:12), we also shall receive ours, which the
Heavenly Father had ordained for us before the world began (Rev.2:17).
Moreover, to every overcomer, Christ has also promised, saying:

“I
will write upon him the NAME OF MY GOD, and the NAME OF THE CITY OF MY GOD,
which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I
will write upon him MY NEW NAME.”– Rev.3:12 (cf. Isa.62:2; Ezek.48:35)

Hallelujah!
Saints of God, we should count it all joy and a great day to have received the
NAME of our Saviour, the LORD JESUS CHRIST — the day when we were born again
of His Spirit and His Word. But can you imagine the greater joy you will feel
on that day when the Lord Jesus Himself shall reveal unto each and every one
of us our very own personal new name and write upon us the NAME OF GOD, THE
NAME OF THE CITY OF GOD, and His NEW NAME! Praise the Lord! O, what a
blessing!

“Wherefore
lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight
paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but
let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the
grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and
thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as
Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that
afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for
he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”– Heb.12:12-17

CHRISTIAN
IN NAME

The 'Christian
world', by and large, is made up of confused religious people who claim
that they follow the teachings of the Bible. Today, there are about
30,000 Christian denominations, sects and divisions. 'Denominational Church'
history has come a long way. From the time of the Apostles the antichrist
spirit had gained entrance into the Church. This happened about the year
53 A.D. Tares were sown (Matt.13:24-30). Schism soon divided the
Church (1 Cor.12:25). And even before the First Church Age (53-170
A.D.) had run its course, the antichrist spirit had inspired a sect called the
Nicolaitans (whose deeds were evil) to conquer
other worshippers of God (Rev.2:6). Somehow, this group usurped the authority of the Church to rule over the laity and other worshippers. The worshippers
somehow subjected themselves to the 'laws' of the Nicolaitans which
were contrary to the Word of God. The Word of God was then replaced
with the teachings and doctrines brought into the Church by those 'conquerors'.
They reserved certain rights for their own benefit at the expense of the rest
of the church people. Thus, nicolaity prevailed with the clergy
ruling over the laity. This was the beginning of the system of
hierarchy, which is anti-Word.

The
hierarchical system, which organized people into different ranks, was actually
introduced into the Church during the Second Church Age (170-312 A.D.).
The first church in Rome had turned the Word of God into a lie by introducing
a pagan religion with Christian names and meaning. This church was
later called the Roman Catholic Church. It was this “Mother Church”
that gave birth to all the organized (denominational) churches in the
'Christian
world'. The Bible calls the Roman Catholic Church“Mystery,
Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth”.

Yes,
she is the HARLOT CHURCH. She is not the VIRGIN CHURCH that is espoused
to Christ Jesus (Matt.25:1; 2Cor.11:2).
She is the (organized) Mother Church which gave birth to all her
rebellious (denominational) Daughter Churches. They had all been
separated from one another, but are now coming back together as ONE BIG
FAMILY OF HARLOTS under the ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT. They are the
TARES
being gathered together for the burning (Matt.13:24-30).

GOD
IS IN HIS WORD

Did
not Jesus say that whosoever worship God must worship Him in Spirit and in
Truth? Those whose minds are not centred on the Spirit and the Word will find
themselves vulnerable to the spirit of nicolaity. We would see a group
formed and then, little by little, they would drift away from the pattern of
the Word. And, when there is no Word and no moving of the Spirit, they would
be left with a substitute and a form of worship. And substitution spells Balaamism.
That's right. That's exactly what is happening in the Endtime Message
Movement and all the other Christian Movements. All it takes is to
get just one word changed and that little leaven would then leaven the whole
lump. Remember, he that offends in one point of the law is guilty of all.

From
the Second Church Age up to this day, many organized groups have
flourished. Though they all bear the name 'Christian' or call
themselves 'Bible believing people', God has never been in their midst.
The Roman Catholics, the Lutherans, the Baptists, the Methodists,
the Presbyterians, the Pentecostals, the Charismatics,
and whatever they are, may claim that God is in their respective
denomination by reason of the number of new converts being added to their
membership lists each year. This is a carnal reasoning because there are many
other non-Bible religious organizations which boast of record numbers of new
converts every year.

GOD
IS IN HIS WORD. He is not obligated to a person, a people, or a church
organisation. He is obligated to His Word. Where the Word is, the Spirit of
God is there. But, it will always be a minority of people that will believe
and receive His Word.

When
the church was so organized in the Fifth Church Age (1520-1750 A.D.),
God gave Martin Luther the revelation of His Truth on justification. As
hard as he preached, there was but a small number of people who received the
Truth. And God was with this group of true worshippers. However, after the
death of Luther, his followers began to organize themselves under the
influence of that spirit of anti-christ which was anti-WORD. God had to leave
that Lutheran Church because God is LIGHT (TRUTH) and therefore could
not mix with DARKNESS (RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS of men) for in Him there is no
DARKNESS at all (1Jhn.1:5-7).
Yet, the Lutheran organization grew and gained an increasing number of
new converts to their creeds and dogmas, which they substituted for the Truth,
instead of the WORD OF GOD.

With
the passage of time, God began to raise up other Godly men to bring His Truth
to His people. One of them was John Wesley. He was the Messenger to the
Sixth Church Age (1750-1906 A.D.). After he was strongly
opposed
by the organized churches for his stand on the Word of God, Wesley
turned to preach the Gospel together with another man of God called George
Whitefield. He based his eternal life on faith and lived a sanctified
life. He was against the adoption of doctrinal statements and
creeds. He was not in favour of an organized church. He once remarked
that he did not fear that the name of Methodist would leave the earth,
but rather fear that the Spirit might take His flight.

Well,
just as soon as the Methodists organized, the Spirit did in fact take
His flight. When Methodism tried to lead the church, they literally ousted
the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And they had religious programmes as
substitutes. They made the converts turn to their denominational way of
life rather than to the Truth of God. (The same is true of the Branhamites who
make converts to 'The Spoken Word' books and tapes of William Branham
rather than the Divine Word (Logos) of God.)

SATAN'S
WORLD

Satan
has been vigorously building his empire in the 'Christian world'. His
empire began to expand when the “Mother of Harlots” came upon the
scene. From about the 16th Century, the birth of Lutheranism gave rise
to the formation of several different CAMPS within the denomination.
The devil also took the Radical Sects to produce the Anabaptists, the
Baptists,
the Mennonites, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Quakers,
the Unitarian Churches, etc. Each group has staked its claim for a
place in THE CHURCH OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD. Each group has erected a gate bearing
ITS OWN NAME. And from the Church of England, Satan produced the Methodists,
the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Salvation Army, etc.; and
from Calvinism he produced the Presbyterians, the Disciples
of Christ, the Churches of Christ, etc. Many of the groups use the
term 'Christian' in their names which they place upon THEIR GATES that
they have erected in the 'Christian world'. Today, we have the Pentecostalists,
the Charismatics, the Branhamites, the Moonies, etc.,
added to the already divided 'Christian' camp of about 30,000
denominational cults and sects. Each and every one of them is claiming a PLACE
in the “CHURCH”.

GOD'S
CHOSEN PLACE OF WORSHIP

Friends,
God is a Spirit. He does not allow men to have Him cooped up in their
beautifully decorated four-wall building with a steeple above its roof. You
cannot take some religious songs and programmes, or point to some healings,
miracles and gifts, or some religious dogmas, books or tapes, and claim that
“God
is here”. God is not subjected or obligated to men, who may be highly
intellectual, highly educated in theological seminaries or very gifted in
certain things. God is obligated only to His own Word and to keeping His own
promises. He is alive and leading the way of every true child who would follow
wherever His Word leads him.

In
the Book of Deuteronomy, where instructions regarding the keeping of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread (or Passover), Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost)
and Feast of Tabernacles, were given to the children of Israel, Moses
specifically commanded them to observe the Feasts only at the PLACE
WHERE GOD CHOSE TO PUT HIS NAME and not at any of their gates. He said:

“Thou
shalt therefore SACRIFICE the PASSOVER unto the Lord thy God, of the flock
and the herd, IN THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD SHALL CHOOSE TO PLACE HIS NAME
THERE...Thou mayest NOT sacrifice the Passover WITHIN ANY OF THY GATES,
which the Lord thy God giveth thee: BUT AT THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD THY GOD
SHALL CHOOSE TO PLACE HIS NAME IN, there thou shalt sacrifice the Passover
at even, at the going down of the sun,... And thou shall roast and EAT IT IN
THE PLACE WHICH THE LORD THY GOD SHALL CHOOSE: and thou shalt TURN IN THE
MORNING, and GO UNTO THY TENTS.”– Deut.16:2,5-7

[Note:
In Biblical time, the gate was an important part of a city or camp. It
provided the only means of passing through the wall or fence. The gate was
usually the place of public concourse. Much of the legal business was done
here (Ruth 4:11). The word “gate” therefore spoke of the power and
dominion of the whole dwelling place of the people (Gen.22:17).]

The
children of Israel comprised twelve tribes. There were twelve different camps
with twelve gates (Rev.21:12), but they were forbidden to sacrifice their
Passover at any of their gates. The Passover was to be taken and sacrificed only
at a CHOSEN PLACE “without the camp” of the whole of Israel.

The
PASSOVER signified that Death had skipped over and that Life had been
given.

We
know that Jesus Christ was the true type of the Passover. He was the PASSOVER
OF GOD. After He had finished His ministry, He was taken and crucified outside
the city of Jerusalem. He died on the day of preparation for the Feast
of the Passover “at even, at the going down of the sun”. Jerusalem was
a holy city with holy people, but the PASSOVER OF GOD could not be
sacrificed within that camp (city) for the people had rejected Him (Psm.122;
Matt.23:37-39).

“Wherefore
Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered
without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp,
bearing His reproach.”– Heb.13:12-13

Even
before the foundation of the world, God knew that the various religious
(cultic) CAMPS – the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots,
the Scribes and all the others – would never accept what He had to
give them. He foreknew that Jesus had to be taken out of their GATES to be
sacrificed. In His foreknowledge, God knew ONE PLACE only was suitable, WHERE
HE COULD CHOOSE TO SACRIFICE HIS PASSOVER, and that was IN HIS WORD! The
Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8) in
the Thought of God as He counselled with Himself (Eph.1). And when His THOUGHT
was EXPRESSED, the Will of God was done! And thus was it fulfilled.

Yes,
beloved of Christ, our PASSOVER was sacrificed in THE PLACE WHERE GOD HAD
CHOSEN TO PLACE HIS HOLY NAME! Hallelujah! And that was in THE WORD!

HIS
PASSOVER, BEARING HIS NAME, IS IN HIS WORD! YAHSHUA (Grk:IESOUS
– JESUS) is the NAME of God which is placed in the LOGOS.
About 2000 years ago, IT became flesh and dwelled among men. The PASSOVER
of God was the very WORD of God made manifest in flesh. Hence, the
ALMIGHTY GOD (Heb: YAHWEH) is in His Word because His REDEEMING NAME
(Heb: YAHSHUA) is placed there. Praise the Lord! Can you see it, saints
of God?

EVENING…MORNING

Have
you noticed that the Feast of the Passover was the first of the
Seven
Feasts of Jehovah (see Leviticus 23) and that it was the only one
that was carried out at the evening time? Did you notice also that the
flesh of the Passover, which was sacrificed and eaten at the evening time,
could not be left till the morning?

Why?

The evening
time is a time of darkness. It is a time when living things lie down to sleep.
It signifies “death”. On the other hand, the morning hour is a
period of daylight when living things, having rested through the night, are
revived. They are vibrant with “life”, so to speak.

Corresponding
to that, Jesus Christ died once only, at the evening time on the
14th day of Abib (Nisan), the Passover Day. (Read Leviticus 23.) He was
taken and buried in a tomb. His body “rested” and “slept” through the Sabbath
Day (15th Abib). On the day after the Sabbath, which was the Feast of
First Fruits (16th Abib), He arose (resurrected) from his “sleep” in
the grave at the break of dawn. Life came in the morning, and it
was the beginning of a New Day — a New Life! He was the Sheaf of
Firstfruits gathered from the Field of Harvest and waved before God
(1Cor.15:20-23).

Therefore,
let us rejoice and be glad! For we have ceased from our wandering and going
astray since He came into our hearts and gave us the Spiritual Sabbath
(Rest)! (Read Hebrews 4.) Amen!

[Note:
The teaching that Jesus Christ was crucified on Wednesday evening and
resurrected on Saturday morning — a period of 72 hours — is a theory which
has no basis in the Word of God. The Feasts of Jehovah reflect the
Truth that Christ Jesus died on Friday evening (the day of preparation for the
passover) and resurrected on Sunday morning, which is the day for the waving
of the sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest before the Lord.]

All
true children of God are REBORN once by receiving the LIFE that the PASSOVER
OF GOD had provided. Notice that the Word of Life came to the people of
God at the close (the evening time) of each of the Seven Church Ages.
That should then cause them to “turn in the morning, and go unto
thy tents” — their place of rest in the Presence of the Son of
God (2Pet.1:19;
Rev.22:16,17). Have you?

The
Cross was a feast to Jehovah. It gave Him back more than sin had robbed Him
of. Life was returned to His children. The night was gone. Death had passed.
Dawn had broken through, and Life was here to stay! Amen!

UNLEAVENED
BREAD

“Thou
shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened
bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of
the land of Egypt in haste:... And there shall be no leavened bread seen
with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the
flesh which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until
the morning.”– Deut.16:3,4

Throughout
the Seven Church Ages, true worshippers of God who had accepted the PASSOVER
of God (which was sacrificed for them) had eaten IT together with
the Unleavened Bread of God's Word. The LIFE of the PASSOVER OF GOD,
which returned on the Day of Pentecost upon the true worshippers, was
the very Life of Christ Himself. Therefore, to eat of the “flesh”
of this PASSOVER correctly, the true worshippers must eat IT together with the
Unleavened Bread of God's Word Which is THE TRUTH. “Thy Word is
Truth” (Jhn.17:17). And the LIFE IS IN THE WORD OF GOD! IT IS SPIRIT
AND IT IS LIFE! Amen! (Read John 1:4; 6:48-58.) The NAME of the
Lord Jesus is LIFE itself (Acts 2:21; Rom.10:13). Hence, how could
there be LIFE in a worshipper if he partakes the leavened bread of men
and of church traditions? (cf.Matt.16:
6,11,12). See? “...there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee…”
Think about it!

While
the Unleavened Bread of God was given to sustain the true worshippers
in ages past, many had also eaten the bread of affliction. Countless
millions had even laid down their lives for the FAITH, especially during the
Dark
Ages.

A
SOLEMN ASSEMBLY

“Six
days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the SEVENTH DAY shall be a
solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.”– Deut.16:8

Brethren,
it is in this Seventh Church Age that the Lord God has called for a solemn
assembly of true worshippers. In the other six ages, the believers had
eaten of the Unleavened Bread of Life that God had apportioned to them.
But this is the only age that He has designated a solemn assembly and a rest
day. This is the crucial hour in which the assembly of true believers needs to
be very serious about the Word of Life. The Word of Truth can never be
over-emphasized. WE ARE BEING GATHERED TOGETHER UNTO HIM. Hence, true
Bible believers everywhere ought to get in line with the Truth and have “an
ear to hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev.3:22) that
they may stand as a worthy member of the Bride before Him.

FEASTING
IN HIS NAME

Everyday,
throughout the world, there are religious feastings in every kind of 'church'
camp. Though all of them may hold their feasts in the Name of the Lord Jesus
(Matt.18:20), they are actually gathering together under the banner (power) of
the various names of their gates. And, sadly, they are feasting on the wrong
types of food. The people are feasting on all types of junk food on the
menus and recipes of man-made creeds, dogmas and church traditions. They are
partaking of leavened foods which are not fit for the souls. And in some
`filthy' camps they even have so-called Christian feasts (festivals) like Christmas,
Easter, Lent, etc.

But
we know that there is ONLY ONE FEAST that we are told to keep (cf.1Cor.5:7-8)
and ONLY ONE PLACE that true feasting is held, and that is IN THE PLACE WHERE
GOD HAD CHOSEN TO PLACE HIS NAME! AND THAT NAME OF GOD IS PLACED IN HIS WORD!
See? It is not in the name or place of any church organization because God is
not found there. God is in His Word, Which is the Revelation and the Spirit of
the LOGOS, and not in the literal printed words on the pages of the
Holy Scriptures that you possess. Therefore, there is no other place that a
person can truly worship God and feast with Him other than in the Name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, which is ZOE (LIFE) itself placed in the very LOGOS
of God!

Notice
that the Feasts of Jehovah were so called because they were Jehovah's
Feasts. They were not the Feasts of Israel. And unless you are
called to bear that Same Name and wear the Same Garment (Matt.22:1-14), you
cannot be gathered there, at that place, where God had put His Name for the
FEAST. Remember that we have but ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT, ONE HOPE, ONE LORD, ONE
FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL (Eph.4:4-6). Thus, in feasting,
there cannot be any division among the people who are bidden to the occasion.
Though we are all made differently and placed in different positions (1Cor.12:12-27),
we ought to have that ONE MIND and be in ONE ACCORD IN THAT
SOLEMN ASSEMBLY OF WORSHIPPING BELIEVERS. Amen! That is possible because God
Himself is right in the midst of the feasting! There just cannot be any
discrepancy in the place where the Lord had chosen “to make His Name [and
His Presence] dwell” there (Deut.16:2, Amp.).

Hallelujah!
I am glad THE NAME OF GOD IS IN HIS WORD, AND THAT THE WORD IS HIS CHOSEN
PLACE OF WORSHIP BECAUSE HIS NAME IS PLACED THERE! And that gathering in His
Name (in the revelation of His Word) is the blessing of our rights when we
inherit the Blessed Name of our God — YAHSHUA!

GOD
IN HIS WORD, GOD IN HIS SON, GOD IN HIS CHURCH

The
NAME of God cannot be separated from His WORD. Biblical study shows that the
name of a person characterizes his personality. (Just study the characters of
Jacob and Saul of Tarsus, and find out how a change of names had affected
their lives.) Now, the PERSONAL NAME of God is YAHWEH. (God has many
TITLE-NAMES as well.) YAHWEH means The Eternal One, the Immutable One
(Gen.21:33). But when His WORD took the form of flesh to redeem mankind,
He took the Name YAHSHUA, meaning SAVIOUR (Lk.1:31). Thus, the
NAME and the WORD of the Almighty God are the self-same PERSONALITY. (Read
John 5:43; 10:30; 14:20.)

Brethren:
are you really serious when you claim the NAME of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ? If you are, then you ought to realize now (if you have never realized
before) the importance of that GLORIOUS NAME OF THE HEAVENLY FATHER which
Jesus had declared to His people. It is in that NAME that God's chosen ones
are gathered and united as one body (Jhn.17:21-26).

Yes,
the revelation of Truth is made known to us in this closing hour. This is the
hour when the final revelation (the Seventh Seal that holds the Seven
Thunders) will be revealed only to the Bride of Christ to usher in
the translation of the saints of God. That's the reason why we, as an
assembly, must solemnly come before the throne of the WORD of God to be judged
as to how fruitful we are in the Life which we possess and of the TRUTH which
we have been so instructed just as Israel did. (Read Deuteronomy 16:8-17.)
Although it hurts when God's Truth corrects us, if we conform to the WORD, It
will set us free.

ALL
THESE could only be carried out properly at FEASTING TIME in a PLACE where God
had CHOSEN to put His NAME and make His PRESENCE known. If we are the true
worshippers of God, then the NAME of God, which was first placed in His Own
WORD, and later in the flesh of the Son of God, is also placed in us.
Amen! It was first placed in His Apostles (Jhn.20:22) and the rest of the 120
disciples back there in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost (Feast
of Weeks – read Deuteronomy 16:10-11,16) when the Holy Spirit came upon
them. Yes, beloved of God, we have inherited His Great Glorious Name!
It is Christ's inheritance in the saints! We are His inheritance! (Read
Romans 8:30; Galatians 1:24; 2Thessalonians
1:10-12; 2Corinthians
5:18-20). Therefore, let us walk worthy of the Lord and of the vocation
wherewith we are called (Col.1:10; Eph.4:1). And “whoso keepeth His WORD,
in him verily is the LOVE of God PERFECTED: hereby know we that we are in Him.
He that saith he ABIDETH in Him ought himself also so to WALK, even as He
walked” (1Jhn.2:5-6).

Finally,
brethren, as we feast now at the table, which our Heavenly Father has spread
for us, in that inherited NAME and WORD (this is the only Christian Feast),
we are assured of a place at the table of that great Wedding Feast (Supper)
which will be held soon. And we will also rule with Him for a thousand years
upon His Glorious return to earth (Rev.20:6). Amen! For we are the purchased
Bride of Christ, espoused as a chaste virgin unto the Lord Jesus, and have
drank of the same cup over which the betrothal benediction had been pronounced
at the covenant of our Lord's last supper (Lk.22:20; 1Cor.10:16-17;
11:26). Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

However,
precious brethren, the Reign of Christ Jesus over His Millennial
Kingdom upon the earth is only a preliminary reign before the dawn of that
great eternal “eighth day” of the Feast of Tabernacles (cf.Lev.23:39).
On that day, the last two chapters of the Book of Revelation will be the
fulfillment of Deuteronomy 16:13-16, when God Himself shall tabernacle in His
(Bride-)Wife — the “Holy City, New Jerusalem” — who are called
by His NAME, to dwell among the nations of redeemed people. Glory to His Name!